Ducunt Volentem Fata
by Hazing Insanity
Summary: When a respected scientist is murdered, the ninja are enlisted to protect a flash drive that had belonged to her. When a woman claiming to be fate itself warns them of an impending death, it becomes clear that this mission is more than it seems. Just what is on that flash drive and who is that mysterious man that keeps following them around? Mild Jay/Zane
1. Prologue

The sound of computer keys being struck rapidly filled the air; the woman's eyes followed the words as they filled the blank page on the brightly lit screen. The woman, or Amara Parque as she was known, licked her lips in excitement. Everything she had worked for in life, her one main goal, might be reached in a few simple keystrokes. Finally, the clicking stopped.

Parque leaned back in her chair, a flash drive clutched in her hand. She squeezed the flash drive in her hand. At the moment, it wasn't just a piece of equipment, it was her entire life's work. "I did it," a lump formed in throat and she felt herself choking back tears, " I... I really did it."

"Congratulations."

Parque's back stiffened and she instinctively clutched the flash drive protectively, "Wh-who's there?" She continued to stare at the computer screen, to terrified to turn around. After a few moments pause, laughter filled the room. She shuddered, her shoulders beginning to tremble. "Please, i-if you want money, I-"

"I don't want your money."

These words did nothing to comfort her, her voice shook as she spoke, "Then what do you want?" It was a question she had a feeling she didn't want answered. The intruder didn't answer straight away. The silence almost seemed to echo across the basement walls.

"Your life," the answer was so blunt and casually put, but terrifying all the same. Parque bit her lip, her eyes shut tight, not even daring to move.

Another few moments of silence was interrupted by the sound of pouring liquid. Slowly and cautiously, she worked up the courage to turn her head. The intrudor's back was toward her, they were leaning over a large metal basin. Had she really been so focused on her work, that she didn't even notice someone carrying something that large into the room? For that matter, how long had they been in the room with her?

These thoughts were vanquished when she saw exactly what they were pouring into the basin. A large bottle of bleach lay on the floor at the intrudor's feet, who was currently pouring a bottle of what Parque could only assume was ammonia. She felt another lump swell in her throat, only for a different reason this time.

Her eyes flickered across the room, noting the distinct lack of windows. She looked forward, the open door was only a few feet away. Her heart skipped a beat, a glimmer of hope entered her mind. Her legs shook as she stood up, her feet felt like they were made of lead. She only had one shot at this. Inhaling deeply, flash drive still in her hand, Parque bolted toward the door.

Her hope was unfortunately short lived. She had fallen face first onto the floor, the cause being a hand firmly grasping her ankle. Parque groaned in pain and tightly shut her eyes. She gasped out as a foot collided with her stomach. She heard a door click shut behind her.

Writhing on the floor she fought to get up. The gas from the chemical mixture was starting to spread. Struggling to her feet, she managed her way over to the door. A hacking cough left her throat as the gas entered her lungs. Parque easily swung the door open, surprised at how easy it was to escape. Legs trembling, she slowly made her way up the stairs.

She quickly noticed the feet of her would be murderer at the top step, as if they had been waiting for her. Waiting to finish her off. Parque shook her head, _no_, she would make this out alive. Fist clenched and raised, she ran up the steps, fully prepared to punch the living daylights out of them. Just as her fist was inches away from the intrudor's face, she froze.

Her eyes locked with theirs, a look of awe crossing her face. She lowered her fist slowly, "Y-you... H-how could... I don't..." The intruder smirked coldly at her. Their foot collided with Parque's chest, causing her to tumble limply down the stairs.

As the chemical gas filled her body, Parque stared blankly at the ceiling in shock. Her body felt completely numb as she held the flash drive to her chest. The face of her murderer was the last thought in her mind.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: In this story, the ninja still have the Destiny's Bounty. You can think of this story as pre-great devourer or as a slightly AU fic. Whatever works for** **you.**

* * *

Jay flexed his arms uncomfortably, trying to keep the grocery bags from sliding further downwards. A row of grocery bags were lined up on each arm as he sat at the bus stop. The heat was quickly increasing during the wait for the bus, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was quickly regretting that decision to leave the golden weapons back on the ship. Zane, who was currently sitting next to him with his own cluster of bags, stared blankly ahead, seemingly unaffected by the heat.

He couldn't help but shoot a small glare at the nindroid, which went unnoticed. They'd probably be back at the ship by now with Kai and Cole if Zane hadn't been distracted by that sleazy salesman. Jay then had to stay behind while the others left and spend the next hour trying to convice Zane why they _didn't_ actually need five tons of pineapple scented manure. Though he couldn't really blame him, even people with a very heightened sense of human behavior could be fooled by a blatant act of manipulation.

He stared at the large digital clock on the building across from them. The next bus would be there in about another ten minutes.

"Excuse me, are you the ninjas I've heard about?" Jay looked up in surprise, before him stood a tall red headed man. The man bit his lower lip and fidgeted with his coat, obviously quite nervous.

"Uh, yeah. You okay?" Jay asked. The man gripped the sides of his coat tightly and stared pointedly at the ground. Jay was almost afraid that he was going to start crying.

Sighing deeply the man continued, "My name is Adam Sullivan and about a week ago, my fiance was murdered." Jay's mouth flew open in shock.

"You have our deepest sympathies, sir," Zane bowed his head.

"Thank you," Adam cleared his throat, "The police are still investigating the matter. But recently, someone had broken into our house. I think... I think they were looking for this." He pulled a small, silver flash drive out of his pocket and held it out for both ninja to see.

Jay raised an eyebrow, "What is is?"

"I believe it's a flash drive," Zane replied.

The blue ninja rolled his eyes, "I _know_ it's a flash drive. What I mean is, what's _on_ the flash drive?"

Adam sighed, "I wish I could tell you, but even I don't know. Amara had never been all that talkative when it came to her research. For some reason, someone wants this and they want it enough to kill for it. I need you to protect this, just until they catch whoever killed her."

* * *

The bus turned a corner, the grocery bags were now taking up the seat in front of them. Jay stared at the flash drive in his hand, trying to wrap his head around how he managed to agree to this. All he did was show the tiniest bit of uncertainty and the guy just burst into tears. He just wanted the guy to stop crying, that's all. He sure did start crying pretty quickly though. Jay shook his head and sighed, "Hey, you think that guy was manipulating us?"

"Not really, Adam's always been a sensitive person." Okay, that definately wasn't Zane's voice. As far as he could tell, Zane wasn't a woman.

He looked over at the woman sitting in the seat across from them, "You know Adam?" Personally, he was pretty surprised that he hadn't noticed her before. She was quite a few years older then themselves, probably in her late twenties or early thirties. She wore a flowing white robe with silver trim. A golden chain headpiece rested on brown hair that went down to her knees. She had a rather regal and confidant aura about her, a bit humorous considering they were on a public bus.

"I know everything," the woman shrugged.

"Oh," Jay chuckled nervously, "Of course."

He felt Zane lean close to his ear, "Was she making a joke?" Jay looked at him with uncertainty, not really sure how to respond.

"No," the woman responded, "Like I said, I know everything."

Zane stared at her with bewilderment, "Really?"

Jay elbowed him in the side and whispered, "Zane, remember what I told you about people like this?" He watched as a look of confusion swept over the nindroid's face before being replace by realization.

"Oh, right," Zane nodded, "Some people are just crazy."

"Right," Jay nodded. A slight chill ran down his back and he had the feeling he was being watched. He had a rather sinking feeling that it was the crazy woman. Cautiously, he turned his head to the side. "Holy-" Jay jerked his head back in shock. Sitting on the outer edge of her seat, with her face just a few inches from his own, the woman smiled slyly at him.

"I assure you, I'm not crazy," the woman smiled, "I know everything about the past, present, and future of the world."

"Really?" Jay looked at her skeptically, "Can you prove it?"

The woman smiled, "Do you see that guy riding the yellow bike?" Both Jay and Zane peered out the window next to their seat. A man was indeed riding his bike on the sidewalk, he was going pretty fast too. The woman continued, "He's about to crash into that magazine stand." True to her word, the man did indeed crash. Jay winced as the man was sent flying forward. Now, he could have just assumed she was just really observant, but this woman hadn't even been looking in the same direction they were.

"How did you know that was going to happen?" Zane questioned, "Do you have a sixth sense?"

The woman laughed and shook her head, "No, I'm not psychic or anything."

Jay frowned, "Then how did you know he was going to crash?"

"Perhaps if I told you who I was, then you'd understand," the woman smiled , "Hello, people call me many names throughout the world, but you can call me Fate."

"Alright, let's say you really are "Fate"," Jay frowned, "What exactly do you want with us?"

"Fate" sighed, "It's about that flash drive. Adam was correct when he said someone was after it. But the person after it is far more dangerous than he could have imagine. They have managed to exist outside of the myself, making them harder for me to predict. If they get their hands on that flash drive, they'll become all the more dangerous."

"What's on this thing anway?" Jay looked over the small device.

"That's a very special secret," Fate winked, "But let's just say it's the answer to the question almost everyone wants to know, but doesn't need to know."

"The meaning of life?" Zane guessed.

"Maybe," Fate shrugged passively, "However, that's not all I wanted to warn you about. In the events of protecting the flash drive, one of the ninja will die."

Jay's heart skipped a beat and he stared at her in horror, "Wh-who..." He couldn't even bring himself to finish his sentence. Fate stared sadly at her feet, before finally looking up. Her gaze locked quite pointedly on Zane.


	3. Chapter 2

The atmosphere, Jay couldn't help but notice, was incredibly tense as they all gazed expectantly at the woman before them. The woman, or Fate as she claimed she was, was rather relaxed sitting in a seat at the end of the table. Returning their expectant gaze, she spoke, "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Jay said you told them than Zane was going to die," Cole narrowed his eyes, "Were you serious?"

Fate nodded, "Yes, very serious. He'll be dead at the end of the week." Jay felt his chest tighten, his gaze flickered over to the nindroid. To his surprise, Zane didn't seem upset. A thoughtful look had plastered itself over the white ninja's face.

"That's a very grave prediction you've made," Sensei Wu said, "What makes you so sure of this?"

"It's as I told Jay and Zane on the bus, I am fate itself. I have memories of the past, present, and future," her voice was matter-of-fact, as if the answer had been obvious.

"If you really are who you say you are, why would tell us this? I mean, it's good that we can prepare now, but what are the odds of having someone just tell us this?" Nya pointed out.

"I asked the same thing on the bus," Jay mentioned, "She said it was because someone "outside of herself" was going to kill him."

"Exactly. An anomaly has formed outside..." she trailed off, searching for the right word, "Destiny. This makes him harder for me to predict. But I do know two things for certain, he's after that flash drive and Zane will die because of it." Everyone stared at the object on the middle of the table with apprehension.

"What's on that thing anyway?" Kai grimaced, "What's so important that people would want to kill for it?"

"It's something even the kindest of people would slaughter others for," Fate sighed. She picked up the flash drive, twirling it through her fingers. Her eyes narrowed momentarily, "It would be best if I didn't tell you what it is, you really don't need any distractions. It's merely a terrible idea that's been romanticized too many times."

* * *

Jay shivered, pulling the blanket tighter over his shoulders. The deck of the Destiny's Bounty felt rough on his feet as he peered down at the city below. Even at night, the city was impossibly bright and noisy. It was almost ironic how others could on with their happy lives, while the suffering of others was just around the corner.

_Zane was going to die_. That's what that woman had told them. That's what _Fate_ told them. They had been on a lot of dangerous missions and they knew dying was always a possibility. But never had death been regarded with such certainty.

That woman, could she really be fate itself? They had seen a lot of crazy stuff, was an anthropomorphic personification of preordained events really that strange? Yeah, it was a bit further out there than what they had usually seen. But for some reason, he couldn't help but believe her and that's what scared him.

If she really was who she claimed she was, then Zane really would die. During the entire bus ride, he just kept repeating, _she's crazy, she's crazy_ over and over again in his head. As if denying her sanity would alter reality somehow.

"Good evening, Jay."

Jay's back stiffened at the voice. He turned around, Fate was standing a few feet away. He hunched his shoulders and averted her gaze, "Uh, hey, Fate."

Fate's head tilted to the side, a sympathetic look was on her face, "You're worried about him." Her voice was surprisingly gentle for such a blunt comment.

"You said you're Fate," Jay looked up, "If you really do know everything, can you save Zane?"

Fate's footsteps were quiet as she strided closer to him. He looked at her in surprise as she took his hands into hers. "I remember, a few months ago, a homeless man who walked up to me. He told me that I looked like an angel and even asked if I was one," Fate laughed, "He thought I was an angel, isn't that grand?"

Jay didn't reply, choosing the look the woman up and down. In the lighter atmosphere, he was a bit surprised to find that she wasn't as magnificent as he had originally thought. In fact, she actually appeared quite average. Maybe if she didn't carry herself in such a sublime way, she might have just looked like some random person in fancy clothing. It was actually a little unsettling to see how human she really looked.

"The man was a former priest from an extremely religious town. He had questioning certain aspects bible and they excommunicated him," Fate said, "The poor man was even run out of his hometown because of it. I told him that I knew of his troubles and what he wanted."

Jay raised an eyebrow, "What did he want? Money? A house?"

Fate shook her head, "The man wanted his job as a priest back. It's funny isn't it? No matter what kind of horrible things a person goes through, their beliefs and loyalties can stay strong. He asked for my help, so I gave him help. He's a lot happier now than he would have been. In fact, the man was actually destined to commit suicide not to far from now."

Jay's eyes widened in shock, "Oh, man..."

"Do you know why I helped him?" Fate asked, "_Ducunt volentem fata_. The fates lead the willing. In other words, if you're willing to ask, I will hep." She gently squeezed his hands as she said this.

Jay steadily met her line of sight, "Fate, will you help us save Zane?"

She smiled, "I-" Fate stopped abruptly, suddenly freezing. Jay gasped when he was shove to the side. He turned around just in time to see someone holding their own throat and gasping for air; Fate was lowering her fist. A hood obscured most of his face. The moment the man lowered his hands, Fate lunged forward. Jay could barely blink before the mystery man had his hands pinned behind his back and one of Fate's hands pressed against the back of his hood. "He's the anomaly I told you about! Get help, quickly!" She shouted.

Jay quickly ran down to the bunks, "Guys! Guys, wake up!" He watched as his teammates slowly sat up.

"Ugh," Kai groaned, "What time is it?"

"Guys, the man that's gonna kill Zane, he's on the ship!" Jay shouted frantically. This seemed to get their attention, everyone immediately jumped out of bed.

"What? Where is he?" Cole yelled.

"Fate has a hold of him, come on!" Jay motioned for them to follow. Kai and Cole immediately ran out the door to the deck. Just as Zane was about to exit, he found his pathway blocked. He looked at Jay in confusion, who was standing in front of the door frame. "Please, just... Just stay here, okay?" The blue ninja asked nervously. Zane frowned, but stepped back in compliance and nodded.

When Jay made it back up to the deck, there was a distinct lack of any mysterious people. Well, besides Fate that is. Cole, Kai, and Fate were peering over the side of the ship. "What happened?" He questioned.

"Fate says the guy jumped overboard while you were getting us," Cole grimaced, "We're flying lower than normal, so he probably managed to land on one of the taller buildings."

Fate sighed, "I'm so sorry, I thought I had a good grip on him."

The ninja of Earth nodded sympathetically, "It's fine, you did your best. We'll definitely get him next time." Jay frowned as he stared over the edged of the ship, he really hoped that was true.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there, sorry for not updating right away. When I finally got over my writer's block, I was banned from the computer. I'd also like to mention that I've decided this takes place after Child's play, but before the Last Voyage.**

* * *

"The question is, who would want to kill Zane and why?" Cole leered at his teammates expectantly.

The team cast uncertain glances at each other, unsure of how to respond.

"That guy who gave us the flash drive seemed kind of off," Jay spoke up, "Maybe he-"

"It isn't Adam," Fate cut him off, "I'm aware of his path, and he's as clueless to what's going on as you are."

Cole frowned, "You said it yourself that you don't know the destiny of the "anomaly" person. So we probably shouldn't cross Adam off the suspect list just yet."

"Of course," she nodded, her eyes narrowed momentarily, "It would best not to take any chances, wouldn't it? Our anomaly could be anyone really." Her gaze swept across the room before landing on Jay, giving him a subtle wink. He looked at her in surprise and confusion, but offered the older woman a slight smile in return. "Of course," Fate continued, "It could be that it's not that they're after Zane, but rather that Zane was merely caught in the crossfire."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Fate smirked, "Well, as I've said before, the anomaly isn't looking to kill Zane, but rather that he was just collateral damage in attempt to gain this." Her hand motioned toward the flash drive.

"If Zane's gonna die because that guy's after that thing, shouldn't we just destroy it?" Kai shot a glare at the flash drive, as if the thing itself had wronged him.

"Kai has a point," Cole nodded, "If we destroy it now, maybe it'll throw the 'anomaly' off our backs." Jay could feel his heart nearly bolt out of his chest when a hand swooped out and snatched the flash drive off the table. The gang gaped in surprise, at Fate, who was clutching the device to her chest. The prideful and god like air she seemed to carry with her disappeared and was replaced by what he could only describe as fear and malice.

For a moment, she looked human.

Fate quickly regained her composure, "As vile at this thing is, it still carries great importance. Please trust me when I say that it would be a bad idea to destroy it."

"You're still not going to tell us what's on that thing, are you?" Cole frowned. He raised an eyebrow, almost accusingly.

"I'd rather not prematurely taint you with its contents. But don't worry, you'll find out what it carries soon enough," Fate glanced up at the clock on the wall, "Oh, would you look at the time! I have some important matters to take care of. Please excuse me." The divine being dashed out of the room, leaving its other occupants confused and wary.

It wasn't until he had left the room, had Jay realized that Zane had never said a word about his untimely demise.

* * *

"Zane, you in here?" Jay called out into the ninja's shared bedroom. His gaze flickered over the room before landing on Zane, who was laid back in his bed, flipping through a book. He looked disturbingly serene for someone whose death had just been predicted.

He looked up from his book, "Yes, Jay? Do you need something?" Jay winced, it was almost appalling how calm Zane sounded.

"How are you doing? Are you alright?" Jay asked cautiously, half hoping that Zane's uncaring demeanor was only a ruse.

Zane raised an eyebrown, seeming confused, "Yes, why do you ask?" It was such a casual answer that Jay was almost thrown for a loop.

He felt his jaw open and snap shut several times before managed to spit out a reply, "_What do mean, why do I ask_?" His own voice was filled with more malice than intended, which was apparent when the book Zane was holding slipped out of his hands in shock. The book slid down the side of the bed and clattered to the floor, but went unnoticed by both boys. Zane opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but Jay cut him off, "Do you even care that you could die in less than a week?" The suprise was apparent on Zane's face, before being replace by shame. He quickly averted his gaze.

"It's not that I don't care," Zane spoke hesitantly, "It's just that..." His voice trailed off, as if he couldn't find the words or just didn't _want_ to. Jay bit his lip, for once, he unsure of what to say. "Jay, do you know how old I am?" Jay jumped when Zane finally broke the silence.

"Um..." Jay shook his head.

"I'm fifty-six," Zane stated bluntly. Jay flinched at the subtle harshness in his tone. He was already aware that Zane was much older than he appeared, due to being a machine.

Jay frowned, "So? You realize that most people can live into their _eighties_, right? You have _at least_ another couple of decades before you kick the bucket!"

"What if I don't?" Zane asked quietly.

"Don't worry," Jay tried to keep his voice confident, "You can count on me, er, and the team of course, to have your back."

Zane clenched his fists, "That's not what I meant. What if I don't just have another two decades?" Confusion swept over Jay's features. What did he mean by...? _Oh_. His stomach twisted at the implications. He wasn't asking: 'what if I don't have another two decades?'

He was asking: 'what if I can't die?'

"As a nindroid, I will always stay the same," Zane said, "And I'm not show signs of breaking down anytime soon. Even if I was, whose to say someone won't come along and just repair me?" He stopped for a few moments.

Jay wondered whether he finished speaking, but soon he continued, "When my creator, _my father_ died, it was due to old age. Soon, everyone else will grow old too, and then die. But what about me? How long will I last before I finally break? Two decades? Two centuries? Two _millennia_? How many more people will I have to see die?"

He was completely hunched over, his face completely obscured. His voice was cracking as if he were about to cry, if he wasn't already, "When Fate told us that I destined to die in a few days, I feel ashamed to say I was almost happy to hear that. It's not that I want to die, I just don't want to see anymore people I care about go before me. I don't want to see my friends die. I... I don't want to see _you_ die, Jay."

Jay stood in stunned silence, unsure of what to say. What could he say? Don't worry, you'll die eventually? He had never seen Zane in such a vulnerable state before and was at a complete loss as to what he should do. Staring down at the nindroid, whose face was buried in his hands, he did the first thing that popped into his head. He heard and audible gasp when he wrapped his arms around the ice ninja.

"Zane," Jay bit his lower lip, his own voice breaking, "Don't you think that I don't want to see you die either? I hear where you're coming from, _really_. But please, don't try to get killed. Remember that we care about you too, we'll care if you die. _I'll_ care if you die." There was a prolonged silence. Jay's arms still had a tight hold around Zane, who had relaxed and rested his head on the other's shoulder. They sat in silence, both ninja's breathing slowing down to a normal rate.

"Thank you," Zane muttered, his head still resting on Jay's shoulder.

"Yeah, no problem," Jay responded.

A sudden knock tore them from their thoughts. Jay almost felt dissapointment when Zane broke their hug to answer, "Yes, can we help you?" Jay was surprised to see the tear stains on his face as he spoke. Whoever made him really went all out to make him as life-like as possible. Zane made no shameful attempts to hide his tear stained face when Fate strode in. Jay, however, immediately turned away. Though he had different reasons to avert his gaze.

"Sorry to bother you, darlings. But I need to borrow something," Fate bent down in front of them, rummaging under the bed across from the one they were sitting in. Jay stifled a gasp, clasping his eyes shut. One eye opened, sneaking a peak at Zane, who was merely stareing on in wonderment.

"Ah, here we go!" Fate stood up, clasping a large and thick-looking bag, "Hope you don't mind if I borrow this?" Jay shook his head meekly before Fate finally left the room. Both ninja sat quietly until Zane finally spoke.

"She wasn't wearing any clothes."

* * *

**A/N: Well Fate certainly know how to kill a mood. So tell me, dear readers, anyone have any thoughts our suspicions about the matter at hand?**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry about yet another late update. But I have a perfectly logical explanation this time as to why I haven't updated... I forgot to.**

* * *

_Jay sat up, observing his surroundings. The area around him was almost completely desolate; a few pieces of lumber littered the ground. _

_"Hello? Anybody there?" He called out. Only silence greeted him. Pushing himself off the ground, Jay set off to explore the new territory. The quantity of lumber increased as he walked on, along with a sudden appearance of beer bottles. Jay wrinkled his nose as the stench of alcohol filled the air. The stench aside, he was probably getting close to civilization by now._

_"Can anyone hear me?" Jay yelled. He was once again met with silence. Sighing, he sat himself down on a stack of wood. How was he going to get out of this place? For that matter, how did he get here in the first place? What was the last thing he did before he got here? A faint buzzing noise sang in his ear when he tried to think._

_"Jay, is that you?"_

_Jay snapped his head up in surprise. In front of him, with an equal amount of awe on his face, stood Zane. __He ignored his irritation as the buzzing grew louder._

_"Zane?" He gasped, "Oh man, am I glad to see you!" He threw his arms around his nindroid teammate. He was, too say the least, rather surprised when Zane pushed him away._

_"Stop, don't touch me," Zane slowly back away, giving him a cautious glare. Jay stared back in hurt confusion. _

_"Zane, what you talking about?" Jay stepped forward, reaching out to his friend. __The buzzing seemed to grow louder, with a solid thumping sound joining in. Jay rubbed his ears in annoyance. Shaking it off, he walking closer and placed a hand on Zane's shoulder. __Jay heard was an ear splitting howl and watched as Zane crumpled into a heap on the ground._

_He watched in horror as Zane's body slowly began to dent. His chest panel crumpled inwards, the edges curling up. The synthetic flesh on his torso and face were stripping themselves away._

_And that awful noise..._

_Jay covered his ears, the noise was blasting at full clarity now. The roar of power drills and hammers filled his ears._

_"Quiet!"_

* * *

Jay shot up with a jolt. He clutched his chest in alarm, panting heavily.

_It was just a dream_. The pain in his chest began to fade as he sighed in relief. He peered over to lower, adjacent bunk where Zane lay quietly under the sheets. Against his better judgement Jay quietly climbed out of his bed, careful not to wake the rooms other occupants. He tiptoed across the room, coming to a stop to hover over the nindroid's bed.

"Now what?" He thought. What was he planning on doing anyway? Was he just going to wake Zane up, ask if he wasn't dead yet, and then just go back to bed? Jay was at a loss for words.

That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Jay's hand lingered over Zane's shoulder hesitantly. He slowly creeped his trembling hand closer, his fingertips barely brushing the pajama cloth. A horrifying scream erupted in his ears and he quickly recoiled. The pained shriek seemed to ring in his inner ear, despite the fact that no one had actually screamed.

"It was just a dream," he chided himself. Jay exhaled and stepped out of the ninja's shared bedroom. The floorboards creaked slightly as he walked down the hallway and into to the kitchen. The blue ninja fumbled though the pitch blackness, looking for a glass in the cupboard.

The floorboards creaked behind him.

He spun around, squinting to make out the surprise guest in the darkness.

"Fate?" He guessed.

"We need to talk," it was a male voice, definitely not Fate.

Jay's eye's widened in realization, "You're that psycho from the other night!"

In the darkness the man seemed to cringe, "Don't call me-" His complaint was quickly interrupted by a glass cup to the face. It shattered on contact... The cup not his face. The man buried his face in his hands, cradling the gashes and forming bruise. A string of muffled curses flew from his mouth.

Jay threw himself forward before the man had time to recover. He aimed a punch to the man's stomach, estimating its location in the dark. The resounding crack of the man's ribs told him that his aim was a little off.

Not that it mattered.

The man doubled over in agony, putting him in perfect position for a knee to the sternum.

"Stay. Away. From. Zane," Jay snarled through grinding teeth. Each word was punctuated with a new bruise on the cloaked man's body. The man tried stand but his efforts were quelled by a foot to the back of his skull.

Jay's heart raced and his hands trembled. The horrifying screams of his nightmare echoed in his ear. The mental image of Zane crushed and mutilated had been emblazoned in his mind's eye. His body shook with rage and terror.

_He couldn't let that happen._

Jay's arm felt around almost thoughtlessly across the kitchen counter before finally grasping its target. He squinted at object in his hand.

A carving fork.

Not really what he was aiming for, but it would work. Jay briskly walking back over to the wheezing, broken man. He raised the carving fork over his head, hands trembling more than ever. He could hear his own blood rushing under his skin.

A hand, not his own, wrapped itself around his wrist.

"Don't do anything you might regret, Jay," Fate's steady tone broke the torturous silence. She held a firm grasp on his wrist and opposed to her other hand, which was place comfortingly on his shoulder.

Jay's heartbeat steadily began to slow. His shoulders slackened and the carving fork clattered to the floor.

He could almost hear her smile, "Good, just relax." Fate's voice was warm and soothing, despite what had just occurred. Or was it because of what just occurred?

Jay lurched forward when he saw the man scrambling up to escaped, but he was pulled back into a confining hug. He let out an incoherent hiss of protest.

"Let this go for today," Fate whispered, "Don't worry, everything will be okay." She held him tightly as the man ran from sight.

"I promise."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry you guys had to wait so long for this chapter. Hopefully I made it up to you guys with Jay beating the utter crap out of Zane's murderer. But don't worry, I'm quite excite about the next chapter so it will be up a lot quicker. I'm finally revealing the villain's identity in the next one, so hold on to your socks!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm a bit dissapointed at how short this chapter turned out. But I couldn't think of anything to add to it. Oh well, enjoy!**

* * *

_"Sorry to bother you, darlings. But I need to borrow something," Fate bent down in front of them, rummaging under the bed across from the one they were sitting in. Jay stifled a gasp, clasping his eyes shut. One eye opened, sneaking a peek at Zane, who was merely staring on in wonderment._

_"Ah, here we go!" Fate stood up, clasping a large and thick-looking bag, "Hope you don't mind if I borrow this?" Jay shook his head meekly before Fate finally left the room. Both ninja sat quietly until Zane finally spoke._

_"She wasn't wearing any clothes."_

* * *

"So I'll be gone for a few hours and probably won't be back until tonight. Alright?" Fate adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder. The other residents of the ship gaped at her with open-mouthed shock.

"Uh..." was the only response Cole could offer.

Sensei Wu looked the most well-adjusted to the situation, but his eyes were noticeably closed when he sipped his tea, "Of course, do you need us to stop anywhere specific?"

"Oh, there's no need for that. But thank you," Fate smiled, "I've got it covered."

* * *

Fate blinked slowly, staring up at the sky as the flying ship drifted away. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the bag she once carried on her shoulder was now dangling from a fire escape.

Along with a sizable chunk of her skin.

Her limbs and neck twisted at horrifying angles. Blood was spilling from several open wounds, with little regards to stopping. Fate could see the dents where she struck the fire escape on her plummet to the ground. Most likely leaving a quite a few dents on her own body.

There was little time to analyze the full extent of her injuries though. The audible crack of bones signified they were already snapping back into place.

* * *

The pigeons cooed and hopped around the park bench, pecking at the bread crumbs in the grass. An aging hand reached into his paper sack and threw another handful out. The pigeons startled, fluttering a bit before resuming their feast.

The park was quiet, empty aside from the old man and the pigeons. So the creak of the bench seemed much louder when a new member joined them.

The old man turned in surprise, "Oh hello, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The click of a gun's safety gave him an answer.

* * *

Fate dropped the last bloody towel into a trash bag. She sighed in relief, wiping the sweat off her forehead. That had taken longer than she had expected.

She carefully placed the trash bag into the sack she had brought along with her, pulling out a change of clothes. She looked around the alley as she got dressed.

_If this area had been more populated..._

Fate chuckled at the morbidity of her thought. It immediately snapped into a frown when she checked her watch. She had to get going, fast.

There wasn't much time left.

* * *

"What do you want?" The old man's voice trembled. The barrel of a gun pressed firmly against the side of his skull. The pigeons continued to peck at the excess bread crumbs, blissfully unaware of what was occurring.

The other one's eyes narrowed, "You're life."

* * *

Fate's heart raced as she ran to the park. There wasn't much time left.

_Please don't let me be too late._

The thud of her shoes stopped when she finally reached the park. She quickly surveyed the scene before her.

She was just in time.

Fate ran over to the bench, taking a seat.

The old man turned in surprise, "Oh hello, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

* * *

The old man, Father Reese, shot her a glare, "Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted to help."

Fate sneered, "Someone like you, priest? Someone who tries to change their destiny? No, people like you deserve what's coming to them and they deserve to suffer if they resist."

Father Reese frowned, "But you're the one who offered me help." He winced when the barrel dug deeper into his skin.

The pigeons began to coo louder, having finished the last of the bread. They pecked at his pant legs, begging for more scraps.

"You had the audacity to accept my help," Fate spat.

"So you're going to kill me for accepting your help?" Father Reese demanded, "I always had my worries that I was making a deal with the devil when I met you."

"_Please_, devils? I don't believe in crap like that," Fate chuckled, "Of course, I've never had much experience in the afterlife. So I can't really judge, now can I? Besides, I won't be killing you."

The old man looked at her in a mixture of relief and confusion.

"You'll be doing that yourself."

Father Reese was flabbergasted, "You can't honestly expect me to do this!"

"I can and you will," Fate's voice was hard, "I'm Fate, you don't honestly think I go around shooting people for fun do you? If you hadn't accepted my help, you'd be shooting yourself today anyway."

"Well thank you for helping me, but I'm going to have to decline this offer," he snapped. He cried out in pain when she twisted his arm. She forcefully curled his fingers around the trigger.

"It's your fate to die today, whether you accept that or not," Fate stated, "Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt."

The pigeons scattered.

* * *

**A/N: Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt: The fates lead the willing, but drag the unwilling.**

**Oh, did you think Fate was the good guy? Nope, she is in fact the villain of this story. What, didn't I mention that earlier?**


End file.
